Process and apparatus for treating coated articles



y 1933- A. o. AUSTIN 1,907,034

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING COATED ARTICLES Filed Feb. 15, 1929 IN VEN TOR 692% LM Hus 7 /77 Y WA @M (A TTORNEY Fatented May 2, 1933UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC ARTHUR O. AUSTIN, 0F NEAR BAR-BERTON, OHIO,ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE OHIO BRASS COMPANY, OF MANSFIELD,OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATINGCOATED ARTICLES Application filed February 15, 1929.

This invention relates to the process and apparatus for treating coatedarticles such as metal articles that have been galvamzed and coated withother material.

One object of the invention is to reduce or restrict/the thickness ofthe coating over portions of the coated article while leaving a thickerportion over other portions,

Another object of the invention is to prevent clogging of threads on athreaded article by a coating material.

A further object is to remove a portion of the coating material from acoated article and to establish a rotary movement of the material toprevent the material from agaln adhering to the article.

A further object is to remove excess coating and at the same timesubject the artlcle to a heat treatment.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description.

The invention is exemplified in the combination and arrangement of partsshown in the accompanying drawing and described in the followingspecification, and it is more particularly pointed out in the appendedcla ms.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one form of apparatus for practising thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the form shown 1n Fig. 1 with parts insection.

In the galvanizing of metal parts, particularly those having threadedportions, it is exceedingly diificult to remove the excess material fromthe threaded parts without correspondingly reducing the amount ofcoating on all other parts. Centrifugal methods have been used to removeexcess coating material but these methods are open to the aboveobjection and some body portions of articles centrifugally treatedfrequently have a thinner coating than desired.

In many articles where it is desired to provide' an ample coating so asto resist water, it is advantageous to reduce the excess material uponthe threaded portion only or upon portions where fairly close fits arerequired and excess material would be objectionable. In order to obtainthis result, a new method has been devised.

- tion.

Serial No. 340,226.

In the apparatus illustrated in the drawing, a blast chamber 10 isprovided with ports 11 which allow a strong blast of gas or air from thechamber 12 to strike upon any object passed down through the opening 13.The chamber is supplied by connecting pipes 14 and a regulating valve15. The galvanized article 16 is passed down through the opening 13 intothe blast chamber 10 while the zinc or other coating material is inmolten condi- The strong blasts which enter in a tangential directionblow the excess material oil and the centrifugal force tends to keepthis material towards the outside of the chamber until cooled so that itwill not fall back on the piece 16 and be refused, forming a lump. Theconical shape of the chamber permits the escape of the blast downward asthe gas or air expands and also permits any coating material which maybe deposited on the side to drop freely. In case the material shouldstick, it is comparatively easy to loosen this so that the chamber willnot become clogged.

In many operations air and steam may be used. This is particularly truewhere the objects are well treated and the amount of material removedneed not be very great. In some instances, a super-heated air or gassuch as a non-oxidizing gas is desirable and in others a combustiblemixture may be used to advantage. A combustible mixture may be used toproduce a flame that will keep up the temperature. The hole chamber mayalso be heated by any suitable means. In some cases the chamber may berotated so as to strike all sides of the piece or the piece or Workrotated as it passes through.

It is evident that the principle may be used for a variety of cases andis particularly efiicient for removing excess coating material from manypieces of Work. Pieces of structural steel may be cleaned by passingthrough a series of cleaning jets, part of which may be heated and partof Which used for cooling. Following the cooling jets, the material maybe further setby a spray of Water or other cooling medium. Where thematerial can be handled rapidly, the jets may be used for removingexcess material and chilling so that the material may be readily handledas it leaves the apparatus without breaking through the coating. It is,of course, evident that after excess material is removed the surface maybe allowed to come to the melting temperature of the coating material byheat stored Within the object or by applying additional heat. thesurface and remove any marks if such exist due to handling.

I claim:

1. In a coating operation, the steps of subjecting a coated article to awhirling blast to remove excesscoating from the surface of the article,moving the excess material outwardly and away'from and out of contactwith the article by centrifugal action set up by said blast.

2. In a coating operation, the steps of injecting a blast tangentiallyinto a circular chamber to produce a whirling current within the chamberand introducing a coated article into said chamber with the coatedsurface thereof exposed to said blast at the portion of said chamberwhere the blast enters said chamber to cause said current to removeexcess material from said article.

3. In a coating process, the steps of directing a blast against thesurface of a cylindrical article transverse to the axis thereof andsubstantially tangent to said surface while said article is confinedwithin a walled chamber, and creating a whirling motion of said blast insaid chamber the cylindrical surface of said article being exposed tothe whirling blast, the blast being of suflicient velocity to removeexcess coating material from the surface of said article by centrifugalforce set up in said coating material by said blast.

4. In a coating operation, the steps of introducing an article havingmelted coating material on the surface thereof into a passage, directinga blast against the surface of said article at an oblique angle theretoand of sufficient strength to produce a whirling motion in said passageand throw the excess coating material outwardly away from said articleby centrifugal force set up in said excess material while the materialis within said passage to produce a whirling motion in said passage, andheating the walls of said passage to prevent the coating material fromadhering thereto.

5. In a coating operation, the steps of introducing an article havingmelted coating material on the surface thereof into a passage havingoutwardly. and downwardly flared side walls, directing a heated blastinto said passage in a tangential direction to set up a whirlingmovement in said passage to facilitate removal of said coating materialfrom said article and to heat the wall of said passage to prevent thematerial from adhering to said wall.

6. In a coating operation. the process of directing a blast against athreaded surface This tends to smooth at an oblique angle to-saidsurface to create a circular movement about said surface for removingexcess coating material from said surface.

7. In a coating operation the steps of'directing a heated blast againsta threaded surface substantially tangential to said surface to removeexcess coating material from said surface.

8. In a coating operation, the steps of directing a blast against athreaded surface in a direction substantially tangential to saidsurface, and confining said blast to produce a whirling movement aboutsaid surface.

9. In a coating operation, the process of introducing a threaded articleinto a circular passage and introducing a blast into said passage aboutsaid article in a tangential direction, the direction of the blast beinginclined in the direction of the axis of said passage to produce awhirling current traveling longitudinally through said passage.

10. In a coating operation, the process of introducing a coated articleinto a passage and setting up a blast in said passage having a whirlingmotion and a motion in the direction of the length of said passage toremove excess coating material from said article and to carry saidexcess material out of said passage said article being exposed to saidblast at the point of entry of said blast into said passage.

11. In a coating operation, the process of introducing a coated threadedarticle into a tapered passage and directing a blast tangentiallyagainst the surface of said article and inclined longitudinally thereoftoward the larger end of said passage to produce a whirling movementabout said article in said passage traveling toward the larger end ofsaid passage, to remove excess coating material from said article and tocarry said excess coating material out of said passage.

12. Apparatus for removing excess coating material from a coatedarticle, comprising a member having a passage therethrough, said memberhaving a tangentially directed port for directing a blast into saidpassage in a tangential direction, said passage being open at the pointof entry of said blast to permit the blast to impinge against a coatedarticle in said passage at a point in said passage registering With saidport.

13. Apparatus for removing excess coating material from a coatedarticle, comprising a member having a tapered passage therethrough, andmeans for directing a blast in a tangential direction into said passageand toward the larger end of said passage.

14. Apparatus for removing excess coating material from a coatedarticle, comprising a member having a tapered passage therethrough, andmeans for directing a heated blast tangentially into the interior ofsaid passage and in a direction toward the larger end of said passage.

15. Apparatus for removing excess coating material from a coatedarticle, comprising means having a passage therethrough for receivingthe coated article, said means having a tangentially directed port fordirecting .a flame in a tangential direction into said passage, saidpassage being open opposite said port to permit the blast as it entersthrough said port to be directed by said port against the surface ofsaid article to heat the coating material of said article and to imparta whirling movement thereto.

16. Means for removing excess coating material from a coated articlecomprising a chamber having an opening at one end for the insertion ofan article to be treated, said chamber having a port for directing ablast into said chamber in a tangential direction and away from saidopening, the walls of said chamber being spaced outwardly from thearticle being treated to permit excess material to be thrown outwardlyfrom the portion of the article within said chamber by the lc)entrifugalaction of the blast in said cham- 17 The process of removing excesscoating material from a coated article comprising the steps of directinga blast against said article and moving said article past said blast,said blast being directed in the direction of move ment of said articleto cause the excess coating material to move longitudinally of saidarticle toward the cleaned portion thereof,

said blast having a whirling movement to impart centrifugal force to theexcess coating material to prevent said excess material from adhering tothe cleaned portion of the article.

18. The process of removing excess coating material from a limitedportion only of a coated article comprising the steps of moving saidportion past a blast directed against the article, the blast beingdirected toward the cleaned end of the article to prevent the materialfrom adhering to the portion of the article not subjected to thecleaning process.

19. The process of removing excess coating material from a portion onlyof a coated article comprising the steps of directing a blast againstthe article, the blast being directed in a tangential direction relativeto the article to prevent the coating material from re-engaging thecleaned portion of the article,

and also being directed longitudinally of the article away from theuncleaned portion of the article to prevent the excess material fromailhering to the uncleaned portion of the artic e.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification this14th day of February, A. D. 1929.

ARTHUR o. AUSTIN.

